Thyroid CancerSymptoms, Doctors, Treatments, Advances & More
Thyroid Cancer Overview
Learn About Thyroid Cancer
Thyroid cancer is a cancer that starts in the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland is located in the front of your lower neck.
Tumor - thyroid; Cancer - thyroid; Nodule - thyroid cancer; Papillary thyroid carcinoma; Medullary thyroid carcinoma; Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma; Follicular thyroid cancer
Common conditions include: Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer, Follicular Thyroid Cancer, Papillary Thyroid Cancer
Thyroid cancer can occur in people of any age.
Radiation to the thyroid increases the risk of developing thyroid cancer. Exposure may occur from:
- Radiation therapy to the neck (especially in childhood)
- Radiation exposure from nuclear plant disasters
Risk factors are a family history of thyroid cancer and a chronic goiter (enlarged thyroid). Being overweight or having obesity may be a risk factor for papillary carcinoma of the thyroid.
There are several types of thyroid cancer:
- Anaplastic carcinoma (also called giant and spindle cell cancer) is the most dangerous form of thyroid cancer. It is rare, and spreads quickly.
- Follicular carcinoma is more likely to come back and spread.
- Medullary carcinoma is a cancer of non-thyroid hormone-producing cells that are normally present in the thyroid gland. This form of thyroid cancer tends to occur in families.
- Papillary carcinoma is the most common type, and it usually affects women of childbearing age. It spreads slowly and is the least dangerous type of thyroid cancer.
Symptoms vary depending on the type of thyroid cancer, but may include:
- Cough
- Difficulty swallowing
- Enlargement of the thyroid gland
- Hoarseness or changing voice
- Neck swelling
- Thyroid lump (nodule)
The treatment depends on the type of thyroid cancer. Treatment of most thyroid cancer types is effective if diagnosed early.
Surgery is most often the initial treatment. All or part of the thyroid gland may be removed. If your provider suspects that the cancer has spread to lymph nodes in the neck, these will also be removed. If some of your thyroid gland remains, you will need follow-up ultrasound and possibly other studies to detect any regrowth of thyroid cancer.
Radiation therapy may be done with or without surgery. It may be performed by:
- Taking radioactive iodine by mouth
- Aiming external beam (x-ray) radiation at the thyroid
After treatment for thyroid cancer, you must take thyroid hormone pills for the rest of your life. The dosage is usually slightly higher than what your body needs. This helps keep the cancer from coming back. The pills also replace the thyroid hormone your body needs to function normally.
If the cancer does not respond to surgery or radiation, and has spread to other parts of the body, chemotherapy or targeted therapy may be used. These are only needed by a small number of people.
UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
Anita Ying is an Endocrinologist practicing medicine in Houston, Texas. Dr. Ying is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Thyroid Cancer. She is also highly rated in 11 other conditions, according to our data. Her clinical expertise encompasses Thyroid Cancer, Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 2, Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia, Papillary Thyroid Cancer, and Thyroidectomy. Dr. Ying is currently accepting new patients.
UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
Mark Zafereo is an Otolaryngologist practicing medicine in Houston, Texas. Dr. Zafereo is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Thyroid Cancer. He is also highly rated in 22 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer, Thyroid Cancer, Papillary Thyroid Cancer, Thyroidectomy, and Laryngectomy.
Office
Steven Waguespack is an Endocrinologist practicing medicine in Houston, Texas. Dr. Waguespack is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Thyroid Cancer. He is also highly rated in 31 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Thyroid Cancer, Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma, Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia, Thyroidectomy, and Parathyroidectomy. Dr. Waguespack is currently accepting new patients.
You can ease the stress of illness by joining a cancer support group. Sharing with others who have common experiences and problems can help you not feel alone.
Complications of thyroid cancer may include:
- Injury to the voice box and hoarseness after thyroid surgery
- Low calcium level from accidental removal of the parathyroid glands during surgery
- Spread of the cancer to the lungs, bones, or other parts of the body
Contact your provider if you notice a lump in your neck.
Awareness of risk (such as previous radiation therapy to the neck) can allow earlier diagnosis and treatment.
Sometimes, people with family histories and genetic mutations related to medullary thyroid cancer will have their thyroid gland removed to prevent cancer.
Background: \- Researchers are studying types of thyroid cancer that seem to cluster in families. Non-medullary thyroid cancer accounts for the vast majority of all types of thyroid cancer, but little is known about possible genes that may cause the cancer. More research is needed to develop the best ways to screen for familial non-medullary thyroid cancer (FNMTC) so that it can be diagnosed and treated at an...
Background: About 5% to 10% of differentiated thyroid cancers become resistant to standard treatment with radioactive iodine. In these cases, treatment options are limited and generally not effective. Researchers want to see if they can better detect thyroid tumors by using a compound called 68Gallium-DOTATATE. This compound may bind to a tumor and make it visible during a positron emission tomography/compute...
Published Date: January 25, 2026
Published By: Sandeep K. Dhaliwal, MD, board-certified in Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism, Springfield, VA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
Alexander EK, Haymart MR, Pattison DA, Wirth LJ, Zeiger MA. Nontoxic diffuse goiter, nodular thyroid disorders, and thyroid malignancies. In: Melmed S, Auchus RJ, Goldfine AB, Rosen CJ, Kopp PA, eds. Williams Textbook of Endocrinology. 15th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2025:chap 12.
National Cancer Institute website. Thyroid cancer treatment (PDQ) - health provisional version. www.cancer.gov/types/thyroid/hp/thyroid-treatment-pdq. Updated May 9, 2025. Accessed February 24, 2026.
Pearce EN, Hollenberg AN. Thyroid. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 207.
Ullmann T, Kim J, Lindeman B, Sosa JA. The thyroid. In: Tyler DS, Hayes-Dixon A, Hines OJ, et al, eds. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 22nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2026:chap 73.